Mariners Update

Rookie lefty James Paxton begins his bid for a spot in the rotation. The Padres list right-hander Andrew Cashner as their starter.

THURSDAY IN REVIEW

Mariners 7, Padres 1

(At Peoria Stadium)

The facts

Right-hander Erasmo Ramirez, seeking to hold a job in the rotation, pitched two scoreless innings and combined with six relievers on a five-hitter. Ramirez got five outs on grounders and had one strikeout.

Play of the game

Justin Smoak’s two-out RBI double to right center, from the right side, highlighted a two-run first inning against Padres starter Eric Stults. That set the tone.

Plus

Robinson Cano contributed a first-pitch single to that two-run first and drew a four-pitch walk in the third inning before exiting for pinch-runner Carlos Triunfel.

Minus

Not much. Want to quibble? Brad Miller started his shortstop battle with Nick Franklin by going hitless in two at-bats.

Quotable

“I think he has the ability to lead the league in doubles. That’s what I want his goal to be. If you hit doubles, you’re doing everything right.” — manager Lloyd McClendon on Smoak.

Extra innings

Pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma is scheduled to undergo an examination Friday on the strained tendon in the middle finger of his pitching hand. That’s three days ahead of schedule …

Pitcher Taijuan Walker, bothered earlier in spring by a sore shoulder, reported no day-after problems following two days of long toss. The next step is to get back on a mound …

Class AAA Tacoma manager Rich Donnelly served as third-base coach in place of John Stearns, who is recovering from hernia surgery. McClendon said internal talks on a longer-term interim replacement are ongoing …

The Mariners are 18-22-1 in Cactus League openers … The Padres made four errors.